Eggs, racial slurs thrown at University of Southern California student

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating an alleged racist incident at the University of Southern California after an undergraduate Asian student reported that someone yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him, and hurled eggs.

USC’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) is also investigating the incident, according to Christian Gunning, associate vice president for University Relations.

Sophomore Ivan Tsang says he was relaxing at a communal fireplace outside USC’s Cardinal Gardens apartments when the first of three eggs were thrown at him as someone yelled, “Ching Chang Chong mother—-r gay.”

A native of Hong Kong, Tsang took to Facebook to express his frustration and disappointment.

“I chose USC for the sole purpose of escaping the reality of Racism, hoping to settle in a much more contemporary and diverse community. I guess I thought wrong,” he said.

A suspect sent an apology message to Tsang via Facebook later Sunday, the L.A. Timesreported.

“The suspect reached out to the victim on Facebook and tried to apologize,” LAPD Det. R. Saafir told The Times. “He says he’s Asian too, that he had a little too much to drink.”

The university also responded to the incident Sunday night, issuing a statement to the student body denouncing the behavior.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for any conduct that threatens or intimidates our students,” Vice President for Student Affairs Ainsley Carry wrote in the statement.

University of Southern California undergraduate Student Government President Rini Sampath in September 2015. (Photo contributed by Rini Sampath)

Last September at USC, a student hurled a drink out a fraternity window at Student Body President Rini Sampath, shouting, “You Indian piece of s***t,” which she then wrote about on Facebook.

“Our work seeks to create institutional policy changes, but it is up to the student community to remember we must practice love and care for one another every day,” Sampath says.

Jonathan Wang, the director of USC’s Asian and Pacific American Student Services, says the work the student government has accomplished has been extremely valuable but he urges the conversation to continue.

“I think what is clear is that issues of discrimination and issues of racism still occur on campus regardless of how much work we are putting towards it,” Wang says. “Some our students still don’t feel like they belong on campus here.”

Emily Goldberg is a member of the USA TODAY College contributor network.

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